Composer-conductors are the cocks of the walk in the first volume of Guild’s series-within-a-series. Thus Ron Goodwin gets us off to a flying start with
Jet Journey followed briskly by the brash matador evocations summoned up by Gérard Calvi in
Courses de Toros.
Cedric Dumont encourages his orchestra to pile on acres of luscious romance and he is followed by Woolf Phillips in
Parisian Mode in a typically imaginative, here Gallic-inclined, conjunction. Leroy Anderson, meanwhile, evokes a ghostly march in his clever
The Phantom Regiment.

For Capitol, Les Baxter unleashes
City of Veils, a typically exotic picture postcard opus with glowering lower brass and evocative percussion – bazaar music. Friml’s
Puppets on Parade is pertly interpreted by its composer in 1959 whilst Harry Geller is an Australian in New York rolling out
Subway Polka with plenty of action, for RCA. Morton Gould ruminates on piano during his contribution with his orchestra, but Kermit Leslie heads for the hills with a yee-haw on his lips as he takes us on a
Montana Round-Up – folksy cowboy stuff. You’ll hear from many of the maestri of the genre – the unmistakeable David Rose pizzicatos, for example, announcing his presence on
Pam Pam.

There’s a firm march from Wilfred Burns – or Bernard Wilfred Harris, to give his real name – and then two princes of British Light Music; Charles Williams (Isaac Cozerbreit to those who knew him best) and Frederic Curzon, whose own name sufficed. Williams’s
Trolley Bus is a delight but the relaxed Curzon charm in
Boulevardier is even better. This brace was recorded in 1946 for Chappell and Boosey & Hawkes respectively. A continental and steadfast member of Guild’s restoration programme is ubiquitous Dolf van der Linden and his saucy badinage in
Jack the Dancer is pleasurable. Another elite continental practitioner was Werner Müller whose RIAS Dance Band seems to nod in Glenn Miller’s direction.

This is an enjoyable selection with Guild’s boffins doing their best to keep some esoteric tricks up their sleeve; it’s good, for instance, to see labels such as Paxton, Harmonic, Coral and Dot covered. Purchase with confidence.